That's a Wrap!

None of the sports I was assigned are "primetime" sports. They are rarely shown live on TV. Most are streamed live online, often without commentary. A color analyst and play-by-play guy are calling it live from a booth in Stamford, but this commentary won't be heard until the event is shown later on tv, likely in a much shorter segment.

But if an American is on the verge of winning a medal or if they simply need to fill time, my sports will occasionally be shown live on one of the myriad of channels in the NBC family. It's always surprising and exciting to see my sports on TV and to hear the analyst repeat a bit of information I gave him minutes before. It's a rare glimpse of the finished product I helped create and makes this massive operation feel more real... and then a Mongolian wrestling coach takes off his clothes.

Overall, the U.S. won 13 medals among the 6 sports I covered. Here are the highlights:

• Judo - The dominance of Kayla Harrison: No American in my sports came in with such high expectations and then exceeded them like she did en route to gold.
• Boxing - The rise of Shakur Stevenson: From his Powerade commercial to his recruitment by Floyd Mayweather to his silver medal, this is not the last we'll hear from the 19-year-old.
• Wrestling - While some big U.S. names faltered, upstart Helen Maroulis made up for it with a gold medal win over three-time Olympic Champion Saori Yoshida of Japan.

535 days until the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea

In a Connecticut State of Mind

Best thing about Stamford? It's close to New York. I've made three trips into the Big Apple so far to see friends and family.

It's a super easy 40-60 minute train ride to Grand Central Station. That said, I got on the wrong train the first time.

Manhattan is a wild place with people moving in every direction like ants. I wish I had more time to explore but I've enjoyed being amongst the craziness.

Best part about it is the people I make the trip for. They give me a welcome break from the Olympic bubble I've been living in.

Some of the interesting storylines in the sports I've been assigned:

• Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first American Olympian to compete while wearing a hijab, then won bronze in the team sabre event. 
• American judo athlete Kayla Harrison overcame sexual abuse from a former coach to win her 2nd Olympic gold medal in Rio. 
• Three-time Olympic kayaker Kazuki Yazawa of Japan is also a Buddhist priest.
• Belgian taekwondo athlete Moored Laachraoui is the brother of Najim Laachraoui, one of the suicide bombers who killed 17 at a Brussels airport. 
• Two Muslim judo athletes have caused a stir with their actions (or inactions) towards Israeli athletes. One allegedly pulled out due to "injury" rather than face an Israeli opponent while another competed and lost to an Israeli and then refused to shake hands afterwards - a major breach of protocol in judo.

It begins...

It's day 3 of the Olympics. I'm not yet running on fumes. The adrenaline of the games is keeping me energized.

Four of my six sports have started. Since I have only smaller profile sports and none of them are team sports, it can be dizzying trying to keep up with every canoe race and boxing match. Luckily I have a lot of tv monitors and a chair that swivels.

Yesterday, fencer Alexander Massialas won a silver medal, the first individual fencing medal for a U.S. male in 32 years and the first in that particular discipline in 104 years. These kind of stories make the long days all worth it.

And it's not just the Americans we research. It's the judo athlete from Kosovo who won her country's first medal in any sport - in the country's first ever Olympics after declaring independence in 2009.

If you're watching the Olympics and the color analyst drops an obscure stat or personal story about the athlete, chances are that info was provided to them by the research room, where I reside. We are like human Wikipedia, except hopefully a bit more credible.

Olympic vocabulary:
ippon - like a knockout in boxing, but in judo
parry riposte - to deflect and counter strike in fencing
second - any coach/trainer/hypeman in your corner in boxing
taekwondo - Korean for "the way of hand and foot"
par terre position - starting on your hands and knees in wrestling, if penalized

Sports Factory

Who says Americans don't make anything anymore? For the next three weeks, this factory will produce highlights, world records and household names.

Hundreds of permanent and temporary employees make up the NBC Sports "at home" team during this Olympics. This includes on-air talent, play-by-play announcers, producers, statisticians, graphic designers, writers, editors and researchers. Another couple hundred employees will be based in Rio.

More so than any other job, my job as researcher is to watch sports. I am basically supposed to be a "smart fan" who knows all the medal favorites, human interest stories and, most importantly, how to pronounce each athlete's name.

It's a tough gig but somebody's got to do it.

To learn about 5 of my sports, watch these short video guides: Canoe/Kayak, Fencing, Wrestling, Judo, Taekwondo.

Back in the Games

One year after the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, I'm returning to the sports world to work the Rio 2016 Olympic Games... in sunny Stamford, Connecticut! That's where the headquarters for NBC Sports is located. Somewhere within the compound is the Research Room - my home for the next four weeks.

I've been assigned as a researcher for six sports - canoe/kayak, fencing, boxing, taekwondo, judo and wrestling. The first two I'm very familiar with, having previously worked as Media Director for USA Canoe/Kayak and USA Fencing. The other four - not as much, but I look forward to becoming an expert on them.

My job will be to assist the on-air talent and producers with storylines, stats, records, pronunciations... you name it. I've never had this particular role before but I'm excited to see the Olympics from the broadcast side of things. It'll be the first Games that I work for remotely. I'm sad to miss out on the excitement and beauty of Brazil but happy not to have to be away from family and work for any longer than I already am.

Be sure to follow along on NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Bravo and Telemundo!

Fun facts about Stamford: it's a 50-minute train ride from NYC

In the Final Stretch

I've now finished my 2nd venue - canoe/kayak slalom at the Minden Wild Water Preserve. The course was set on the Gull River 3 hours northeast of Toronto. Luckily, I had a place to stay in Minden and didn't have to make that daily commute. The venue was so natural and unlike any other I've been to. The Venue Media Center was a tent with no air conditioning and more bugs than reporters. But it was also refreshing and fun riding a golf cart through the woods from one end of the venue to the other.

Now I head to soccer, which has already been going on for 10 days. This will be the first venue that I'm not running the (media) show. I'll be helping out the Venue Press Manager and he's got a team of volunteers that already know what they're doing. It's a much slower pace, with athlete interviews taking place only once every couple of hours, but it has the potential to get crazy during the medal rounds.

I'm loving my experience so far, but I'm excited for my 4-day vacation coming up where I get to be a tourist in Toronto with Teresa. I'm meeting a lot of great people (see my canoe sprint volunteer supervisors pictured above) and learning a lot about event operations. It's like some sort of Olympic summer camp.

Follow me on Twitter @nickolivier

One venue down, 2 to go...

After 4 days of racing, I said goodbye to the Welland Pan Am Flatwater Center. The Venue Media Center was packed each day as Canada, Cuba and Brazil racked up the medals. Everything went smoothly for me, except for a few late buses back home to Toronto.

An average day of Canoe/Kayak Sprint included taking the 4:45am media bus from the Main Press Center to Welland. I arrive 2 hours later and I'm on my feet for the next 7 hours, running across the venue, talking to media and coordinating with my volunteer team. I had the best team of 16 volunteers that anyone could ask for!

Now I've got one day off before heading out to the Minden Wild Water Preserve for Canoe/Kayak Slalom. What did I do on my day off? Slept, watched some PanAm squash, and rode Toronto Bikeshare, naturally.

#PanAmProblems

I'm writing this post from Niagara Falls. Well, actually the Canadian immigration office at the U.S.-Canada border at Niagara Falls. 

I somehow failed to obtain the work visa I need to legally work (and get paid) while I was passing through customs at the Toronto Airport. I guess that's my goof for not asking but they weren't supposed to let me in without one. 

I can't just go back to the airport either. I have to cross a border and the nearest one is Niagara Falls-1.5 hours away. Imagine having to go to the Grand Canyon to file your taxes. 

This photo was taken before my 6 hour wait for the visa. But I got it! Now time to get to work. 

Follow me on Twitter @nickolivier. 

Traveling to Toronto

When I left my part-time gig as media director with USA Canoe/Kayak over a year ago, I knew there was a good chance that would be the end of my Olympic journey. And I was okay with that. 

But I was ecstatic to hear from an old Olympic buddy that the Pan American Games were hiring. I didn't know that he had been working for the PanAms as Director of Press Operations. 

The Pan American Games are like the Olympics, only for countries in North-Central-South America, and the Caribbean. It includes all Olympic sports, plus 8 more like bowling and speed roller skating. 

I applied for and was hired as Venue Press Manger for canoe/kayak and soccer. Each day I'll be in the sports' venue media center - like a stadium's press box. 

I'll be in charge of making sure the reporters have results and anything else they need. I've worked at past Olympics and Youth Olympics as a reporter or a press officer for a specific country, so this will be my first time working in media relations for the people putting on the Games. 

I can't wait to rejoin the Olympic movement and to experience Toronto for the first time. 

On to Rio 2016...?

Despite all the fun and Games described in these blog posts, there are times when the thought of going to another Olympics is not an appealing one. Between the hour long bus rides, the 30 minute waits for the bus and having to go through airport-style security about five times a day, nothing is easy. All the cool sporting events I was able to see occurred at the end of a long day of work and getting to and from the venue was an ordeal. This was time that could be spent working, sleeping or eating.

That said, I wouldn't trade it for the world. The Closing Ceremony renewed my energy to stay in the Olympic movement for as long as it will have me, or at least another four years. The Closing was truly a party, which wasn't always the case with the tight security surrounding this Olympics. John Lennon and Freddie Mercury even made appearances. Surprisingly, Brazil's portion of the ceremony was one of the more subdued segments.

Right before the Closing, I was lucky enough to score a media ticket to the gold medal men's basketball final between USA and Spain. Until then, I had been sticking to the less popular sports because I didn't want to take a seat away from a reporter who's actually working the event. But I couldn't turn down this opportunity. The game was close and the crowd was into it, but Kevin Durant and Co. were too much for the Spaniards.

I leave on Tuesday, which gives me the rest of today to have some non-Olympic fun in London. I think I'll go for a bike ride.

Click HERE for my latest photos.
Click HERE for my latest press release.
Click HERE to see the Universal Sports interview I helped set up.

Sprint to the Finish

London 2012 Round 2 starts Tuesday for me as the flatwater sprint canoe/kayak racing begins for Team USA. We have two kayakers. Carrie Johnson is a three-time Olympian who will affectively retire  after these Games to begin a four-year veterinary program at UC-Davis. The other, Tim Hornsby, is a first-timer whose girlfriend just finished 9th in the pole vault.

Since my last post, I have been able to watch tennis at Wimbledon, women's water polo, men's basketball, rowing and table tennis. It was the first time I had seen many of these sports live, but seeing tennis at the All-England Club was special. It's the closest I might ever get to experiencing Wimbledon. I watched the Bryan brothers advance in men's doubles and Serena Williams do the same in women's singles. Both would go on to win Gold later. I also sat on "Henman's Hill" to watch Federer v. Isner (USA).

In the lull between slalom and sprint canoe/kayak racing, I've been able to set up interviews with BBC World News and Universal Sports. The sprint canoe/kayak venue is even farther away than the slalom venue, and the races are in the morning, meaning I will have to leave my dorm at around 6am to get there in time. I'm not sure if I'll have any time for sightseeing, but if I do tops on my list of things to do are Tower of London and trying out London's bikeshare system. Somehow I never saw the Tower of London during my semester abroad in this city.

Click HERE for my latest photos.
Click HERE for my latest press release.
Click HERE to see the BBC interview.
Click HERE to read one of the stories I helped set up.

An Olympic Reunion

When I'm not out at the faraway canoe/kayak venues, I'm generally at the Main Press Centre in Olympic Park or at my dorm at the University of East London - Docklands Campus. Seems like everywhere I go I run into people I know - some I expected to see, others were a surprise. It was the first time for me to meet 5 of the 7 canoe/kayak Olympians, two coaches and one of my co-workers. Then there's the 11 other Young Reporters that I knew from our adventures in Singapore and Austria. Then there's the good folks at the U.S. Olympic Committee and the other U.S. press officers at other sports. To think it all started with an internship in 2009.

Sadly, all five U.S. slalom athletes were knocked out of competition in the qualifying rounds, many in heartbreaking fashion. After a very busy first two days of competition, I find myself with more free time than I'd care for. Still, I'm working to garner as much media attention as possible while I am in the same city as these athletes. The two U.S. sprint athletes begin competing next Tuesday.

Yesterday, I was able to venture out into Central London for the first time. Olympic Park is in a part of East London that no tourist would have gone to before now. I was glad to finally see the London I knew from my study abroad experience in 2008. I was able to catch some beach volleyball near 10 Downey Street, where the Prime Minister lives. As I write this, I'm sitting in the press area watching Argentina take on Pakistan in field hockey. If I get a full day off, I'm thinking of going out to Wimbledon to watch some Olympic tennis.

Click HERE for some photos. More photos.

Click HERE to read one of my event recaps.

Click HERE to read one of the interviews I helped set up.

Click HERE to watch kayaker Caroline Queen's final run.

Let the Games Begin

The Opening Ceremony was great. It wasn’t overwhelming and over-stimulating as some of these events can be. It was relatively understated.

It started off with a flyover and a bit of rain. The clouds subsided and the fake English country side that was created in the center of the stadium gave way to a long drum-heavy journey through the nation’s industrial age. It told a story without ever using words. Then came a bizarre dream sequence from JK Rowling. Mr. Bean’s bit was funny, but I’m not sure it did justice to the very Olympic film tune "Chariots of Fire". The run through on British music could have been cut in half, because for every Rolling Stones, there’s a Prodigy, or worse. But I loved the choice to play Pink Floyd during the big firework finale and David Bowie’s “We Can Be Heroes” as the British team concluded the parade of Olympians. Paul McCartney’s performance of “Hey Jude” was very good. I can now say I’ve seen a Beatle live.

My canoe/kayakers start racing on Sunday, so it's the last bit of quiet before the storm. Go USA!

This is a Picadilly service to...

"This a Picadilly service to Cockfosters."

That's the first thing you hear after jumping in the Tube from Heathrow Airport. Not exactly the most regal introduction.

For me it's a reintroduction. I studied abroad in London in the Spring of 2008. I wasn't sure when I'd be able to return and I didn't think it would be for the 2012 Olympics.

I was able to sleep on the plane, which is good considering I arrived at 830am GMT and have lots to do today. I am without Internet or cell service as I write this. I took the Tube across town to my dorm and now I'm waiting to be checked in. Wish me luck.

Jumping in Headfirst

I'm waiting at my terminal at Dallas-Fort Worth airport, pecking away on my phone. In about 25 hours I will be hosting my first press conference, jetlag be damned. Things are about to get real hectic. Here goes nothing...

The US CanoeKayak Team starts competing on Sunday. Surprisingly, NBC will be covering much of it live on their main channel. Check nbcolympics.com for a full schedule. The Opening Ceremony is Friday. I'm hoping to snag a ticket.

Visit usack.org to see the media guide I put together.

London Calling

13 days. Less than two weeks to go until the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. I've been fortunate enough to experience Olympic Games of varying sizes. But this one should take the cake, or biscuit, or whatever they eat in England. The Games will mark my return to London after I spent a semester abroad there in Spring 2008. It will mark the culmination of two years of covering canoe/kayak for the U.S., after reporting on dozens of events from my couch and one from the actual venue. It will be the first time I meet five of the seven 2012 Olympic paddlers, whose names I've written about a thousand times.

I'll be staying in a dorm room at the University of East London campus in the Docklands. The industrial area of town adjacent to the Canary Wharf business district has been transformed into an Olympic wonderland for the Games. But I won't be spending much time there. Each morning I'll make the long commute to the faraway canoe/kayak venues. The first week is whitewater slalom racing at the brand new Lee Valley Whitewater Center in Broxbourne, just north of London. After that is flatwater sprint racing at the historic Eton Dorney venue near Windsor Castle, just west of London. I'm hoping to have one day off in between the two events, so that I may experience some other Olympic sports. I'm thinking tennis at Wimbledon or beach volleyball near Buckingham Palace or table tennis.

What sport do you think I should try to see on my day off?

Click HERE to read a feature on 2012 U.S. Olympic sprint team coach Stein Jorgensen.

Follow my adventure on Twitter @nickolivier and @usacanoekayak.

Seven Olympic Tickets

Seven. That's how many U.S. canoe/kayak athletes will represent Team USA at the London 2012 Olympic Games. That's the number of athletes I will be in charge of promoting and fielding their media requests. Four kayakers and three canoe athletes. Two flatwater sprint athletes and five whitewater slalom athletes. Six boats, including a two-man canoe slalom boat. The final two slots were earned this past weekend at the Slalom Pan American Championships in Brazil, which I covered from my apartment in Fort Worth. Click HERE to read my event recap.

Which athletes will fill each boat remains to be seen. The picture will become clearer after the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April. I'll be attending the sprint trials Oklahoma City on April 20. For sprint kayakers Carrie Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) and Ryan Dolan (Kailua, Hawaii), it's "win and you're in." The media attention is already starting to really pick up.

Countdown to London: 135 days

The photo above is of me interviewing an Iranian alpine skier through an interpreter at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. The photo appeared in the sports section of the local German-language newspaper.

So Long, Farewell

Auf Wiedersehen, Innsbruck. My third Olympic Games might have been my most productive. After many trips to the mountains and many interviews conducted through interpreter or broken English, I have some stories to show for it. I learned a ton about writing and reporting while working with some awesome mentors and senior reporters. Never will I get to work with such great sportswriters and editors in a situation where it's expected for them to show me everything they know.

I had a great time hanging out with the other young reporters. Never will I get the chance to spend two weeks eating, drinking and working with 14 other people from different countries. The experience of talking with others about their native culture, food and politics is the next best kind of cultural exchange after visiting those countries themselves. I've gained a tour guide should I visit Barbados, Vancouver, the Canadian Arctic, Montevideo, Tel Aviv, Vienna, China, Singapore, Australia, Dakar, Senegal, Delhi, Riga and Ukraine.

Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for four more of my stories.

Click HERE for more photos of my Austrian adventure.

German translation of the day: beer = bier

A Winter Sports Wonderland

Click HERE to read my first event review of the Games.

German translation of the day: achtung = caution

The Final Stretch

The past two days were spent away from the mountains. I was able to watch speed skating, some hockey and engage in the Culture and Education Program that is unique to the Youth Olympics. Friday, I return to Patscherkofel to cover alpine skiing. It will be my first time writing a standard event review since arriving in Innsbruck. I'm excited for the challenge.

There's only three more days left in this crazy trip. There's still about five sports across three venues I've yet to see. Once I return to the States, there will be 185 days until the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Click HERE to read my latest story, which I'm surprised hasn't caused more of a stir.

Click HERE to see more photos of my Austrian adventure.

German translation of the day: guten tag = good day, hello